Top 17 Best Metal Guitar Pedals: You Do Not Want To Miss (Update 2021)

To produce unique sound effects to your metal music, guitar pedals are considered a must-have item. It controls the guitar tones and helps boost your overall sound by tuning your guitar, adjusting your pitch, or even removing unnecessary noises for a more refined, broad sound. They all fit well for electric, bass, and acoustic guitars, some even with keyboards controllers. You will find our list of top 17 best metal guitar pedals helpful, whether you are a novice or advanced.

Best Metal Guitar Pedals Comparison 2021

** Below, you will find our detailed reviews of the Best Metal Guitar Pedals, but you can also click these following links to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.

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Top Best Metal Guitar Pedals Reviews 2021

Diezel Herbert Two Channel Overdrive and Preamp Guitar Effects Pedal

[amazon box=”B07GHYNJ46″ ]

Next up, we’ve got the Diezel’s Diezel Herbert Two Channel Overdrive and Preamp Guitar Effects pedal. The Herbert is not the most excellent distortion pedal, as it can undoubtedly be used. Take the 180-watt leader and lower it on the board and take the Diezel city-level tone, it is an excellent way to place high-gains filth on the sound.

The model is based on the famous Herbert Amp, mainly are the analog pedal. The pedal also can act as an overdrive effect or even an isolated preamp. When the pedal is used as a preamp, The Bypass shifts to mute your signal.

Pros

  • Double ways to reach Diezel tone
  • Individual “To Power Amp In” output is precisely tuned
  • Worth the price

Cons

  • Low in-stock

MXR EVH5150 Overdrive

[amazon box=”B0179ZQW0K” ]

This is another pedal from the brand MXR. It is a collaboration between the MXR team and Eddie Van Halen – the main song-writer and guitarist of the famous American rock band named Van Halen. The combination provides a broad spectrum of dynamic intensity and hyper-driven echoes right at your feet.

The EVH 5150 Overdrive is a combination of hand-adjusted multi-stage MOSFETs with full tube-like controls and outstanding sonic versatility through a wide range of amps and speaker enclosures. The overdrive control systems of EVH 5150 pump up the entire continuum from the early classic sounds of Eddie into the ultra-high gain, insanely sound he uses nowadays, on stage or in the studio.

Controls for output and gain set your loudness and distortion thresholds while the EQ segment on the three-band passive tone stack forms the sound to suit. The booster pushes the 5150 into high gear with added boost and compression and excessive noise driven by the smart gate. The EVH 5150 overdrive includes a simple circumvention switch and comes with custom EVH artwork in a fantastic position.

Pros

  • Pretty flexible
  • Solid and smooth dials
  • Lots of features to quickly figure out your style

Cons

  • Noise gate activated only in case of distortion
  • Gritty, hard-to-use knobs

Empress Effects Heavy Dual-Channel Distortion Guitar Effects Pedal

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You can find a massive variety of high gain killer tones in this Empress Effects Heavy Dual-Channel Distortion Guitar Effects Pedal set from Empress Effect Label. This little box of sonic catastrophe does everything, from clean, mid-driven ’80s metal to scooping, modern, down-to-earth violence.

The two separate streams can be articulated in the same way so that one can be used as a single boost or connect differently by using the midfield power with the mid-frequency switch. The two channels are equally voiceable. 

Adding different weight controllers that form each stream’s low-end reaction and a global Hi/low EQ segment will enable the individual amp and cab configuration to be fine-tuned. Then you will have a powerful instrument to make your sound excellently heavy rig.

Pros

  • Switchable mid-frequency
  • Convenience dual-channel design
  • Fully analog signals paths

Cons

  • Not heavy enough for a heavy metal guitar pedal
  • Limited features

Friedman Amplification BE-OD Deluxe Dual Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal

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This metal guitar pedal is a must-have item for all tone lovers. This dual overrun pedal from “BE” captures the sound of Friedman’s now-iconic BE-100 amplifier, which has performed on stages with world-class artists.

Thousands and thousands of pedals produced and sold around the world still go extremely fast! In addition to the very similar system, this new Friedman’s Deluxe BE-OD pedal includes additional channel and double middle controls. You can adjust all the rhythm and lead sounds on dual “BE” channels.

The BE-OD Deluxe offers an authentic tube amp tone with the adjustments to form your sound. These sensitive controls lead you on up to nirvana from mild overdrives. This BE-OD Deluxe metal guitar pedal has been built to resist decades of harassment.

Pros

  • True Bypass Shifting
  • Dual channels
  • Lots of knobs setting
  • Including cable

Cons

  • Poor-quality outlet jack
  • Not really versatile

Wampler Plexi-Drive Deluxe V2 Distortion & Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal

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Plexi Amplifiers has taken the lead in rock tones with their iconic close overdrive and coveted low reaction since the beginning of the ‘60s. Early rock pioneers such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream and AC/DC have contributed to developing the legendary rock-style amplifiers of any of the most sumptuous influential rock tones ever made.

On the basis of the original Plexi-Drive, the Wampler’s Plexi-Drive Deluxe is more tone-shapable than ever before. The 3-band active EQ, extra luminosity monitor and pre-gain boosters get nearly any Plexi sound from any amp. From Plexi tones in the ‘68 to JTM-45 rock tones cranked to 10, the uniquely organized winning structure will cover anything. The luminous switch adds more high-end light.

Pros

  • Wide range of style
  • Variety of sound settings
  • Sweet, transparent overdrive
  • Rich and full distortion tones

Cons

  • Terrible sounding
  • Loose switch
  • Overpriced

Wampler Faux Tape Echo V2 Delay Guitar Effects Pedal

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This is the upgraded version of the iconic best-selling of the Wampler – the Faux Tape Echo Guitar Pedal. It comes with everything you want from a conventional delay pedal in the beginner-friendly kit. From country slap-back to surrounding washes, right-front rock and metal delay, this pedal does everything.

With the inclusion of segments on the tap pitch, the Faux Tape Echo V2 provides the same pure signal direction, the same resounding echo on the repetitions, making your pause at 1/4, 1/8 and dotted 1/8 and triplets patterns. The clearness, reduced noise and longer stop-period times of a virtual delay are paired with a full-analog dry path and the comfort of an analog pause.

Pros

  • Great sound effects
  • Suffice as both a delay pedal and a reverb pedal
  • Angelic, peaceful, soulful sound

Cons

  • No power supply included
  • Dry beat sounds

KHDK Dark Blood Distortion Effects Pedal

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The sound of the KHDK Dark Blood Effects Pedal is tubular and medium-heavy, with a higher gain. Their uniquely powerful sound is distinctly broad. Rich and deep, Dark Blood supplies the clean amp with the key sound and is suitable for a flying platform and a replacement to an amp or modeling rig.

This is the supreme pedal for gain freaks, built for palm riffs and searing high gain soloists, with its high gain and violent, uncompromising dynamics. Dark Blood is based on the original KHDK device that integrates reliable state technology with MOSFET technology. A triple booster was attached to the front of the classical metal form to drive the sound to the max.

Pros

  • Wide range of tones
  • Controls are susceptible
  • Get rid of unwanted noise

Cons

  • Some say it produces horrendous noises
  • No power supply included

JHS Bonsai 9-Way Screamer Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal

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A set of high-quality tube screams is available in a small box with the JHS Pedal Bonsai. This pedal defines the quality of flexibility. It is among the most diverse and perhaps the most complex pedals on the marketplace that allows you to use the sound from the 1970s to today.

The Bonsai uses a fast rotary knob to turn the Screamer into nine conventional, antique, uncommon or difficult versions. The “Bonsai” is not a “Mods box”, it is exact replicas of these nine modules stored in one box. When you pick the Bonsai spinning mode, it really likes you activate separate parts and play with all the tricks, drift, retro mojo and uniqueness that a vintage pedal has.

Pros

  • Variety of styles and colors
  • Excellent and useful effects
  • 9 tube screamers in one

Cons

  • Stacked with other overdrive pedals
  • Cheap and artificial sounding

Revv Amplification G3 Overdrive & Distortion Pedal

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This Amplification G3 Overdrive & Distortion Pedal from the REVV brand is absolutely incredible, the tone is superb, very punchy and tight palm-muted crunch and outputs a lot of gains. It’s definitely a pedal for metal genres, but it still sounds good with gain dialed down. It has a responsive EQ and 3 voicing options (Blue, Red, and N/A), giving it a ton of flexibility.

This metal guitar pedal sounds fantastic, either you are using it with a modeler in front of an amp or in a cab emulator in a straightforward way. It is excellently functional in the modern metal tones to suit multiple various types.

Pros

  • Worth the price
  • Gives crisp, tight, metal sounds
  • Perfect for metal guitarists

Cons

  • Easily get skewed

BOSS Harmonist Guitar Pedal (PS-6)

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BOSS has produced the Harmonist Guitar Pedal (PS-6) – an undefeatable mixture of high-ranking sound standards, user-friendly, and significant pitch effects, all under one hood. In one handy device, with 4 brilliant pitch-shift effects and three-voice harmony.

A mode stands out between many modes of effect like harmony, pitch shifter, and detune. It’s the brand new effect S-BEND (Super Bend) can amazingly change the tone up to three (and four) perfect octaves.

This pedal is so easy to use that it’s perfect for all novice guitarists. You can simply set up two- or three-voice melodies with the customizable key and voicing by choosing a major or minor key, and then change the Harmony knob to three-voice – then you’re free to go!

Pros

  • Easy to use for beginners
  • Capable of detuning
  • Pitch modulation by an expression pedal
  • High standard tone changing
  • Include a beneficial bundle

Cons

  • Easily broken click button which activates the pedal
  • Doesn’t really produce realistic harmony sound

Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff Distortion with Top Boost Guitar Effects Pedal

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Last but not least, this product comes from the Electro-Harmonix brand. The Metal Muff Distortion is considered one of the finest among all the best metal guitar pedals. With three fierce EQ bands build in the middle and 6 levers to create the tone for your metal jam to dance along with.

The manufacturer has inserted a one and only button on this pedal, distinguishing it from other guitar pedals. The notable “Top Boost” button lets you switch the midpoint between 3.5 kHz and 4.3 kHz frequencies. The boost is useable, but your settings will be very limited on the boost for it to be anything more than adequate.

This pedal is everything you need if you are into playing fast and heavy. The lows are not overfilled with bass and with the distortion cranked up, the treble still sounds good at high volume. The mid dial is what makes it. It adds so much versatility to your riffing. And the top boost will knock your socks off as well.

Pros

  • Wide distortion range and versatility
  • Worth the price
  • Amazing sound

Cons

  • Old-school posts switches might hurt your feet
  • Easily get broken

Fulltone OCD Obsessive Compulsive Drive Overdrive

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Firstly, we want to introduce you to the OCD Obsessive Compulsive Drive Overdrive guitar effect pedals from the Fulltone label. It is not explicitly built for heavy metal guitarists, but it can alter to fit any metal music form. You will reach a tremendous smooth overdrive for your solos before switching into high-gain distortion if you want to strike the note.

The product includes 3 knobs that monitor your playback, sound, and volume. There is also a small switch that you can choose between high and low pass.

When you switch to a softer pass, the tonal range that the pedal usually gives is a chef-kiss. Low volume does not mean that you are fading out, but it can do a great lever if you play many songs with peaks and troughs.

Pros

  • Powered by batteries
  • Lightweight, easy to carry around
  • Smooth and clear sound

Cons

  • Tiny nightmare screws
  • Rarely low-end bass waves

MXR M116 Fullbore Metal Distortion

[amazon box=”B07GDRR6NK” ]

The Fullbore Metal Distortion Pedal from MXR is your supreme riffing force. This lightweight yet effective instrument is everything you need to release the most destructive tones you never heard from ultramodern metal guitar.

The Fullbore Metal turbo-boosts the guitar waveform with ultra-high gains. In tandem with the integrated Noise Gate, noise can be reduced by adding definition and density to the rhythmic metal riffs, owing to their exceptionally high gain levels.

Pros

  • 6 knobs modes allow more control to your sound
  • Include a Truetone 1 Spot Space Saving 9v Adapter
  • Perfect metal guitar pedals for both beginners and advanced

Cons

  • Low in stocks
  • Not the best distortion pedal to perform with high-gain loudspeaker

MG-100 Professional Multi-Effects Pedal

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This metal guitar pedal is like you putting all parts of an original band into only one device. How shocking is that? The Asmuse’s MG-100 Professional Multi-Effects Pedal consumes 8 functional effects in 1, with a preset of 36 effects, plus 36 customized effects of altering to fit with your music style.

It works proficiently with electric guitars and especially fit bass guitars, this pedal is a marvelous companion for beginners and junior players. The tuner works in 1 to first be tuned. It also has the expression pedal which can turn up and down to control the wah-wah effect.

An outstanding feature of this best metal guitar pedal is the 40 seconds phrase looper. It lets you feel like working with a whole band. And also taped your own never-ending tracks, gives you time to embrace your talents.

Pros

  • Have noise gate built-in
  • Power adapter cord included
  • Have LCD screen to show operations

Cons

  • Make thunderous static noise when it starts
  • Not compatible with bass

MXR M75 Super Badass Distortion

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Next up is the best metal guitar pedals from the MXR brand – the MXR M75 Super Badass Distortion. The three-band EQ would alter all features of the M75.

It is called “Super Badass” for a reason: it peaks the note only in seconds with the proper distortion pedals. If you are a fan of Iron Maiden, then this metal guitar pedal is perfect for you to play the sound similar to them. 

While it is definitely not tight enough for metal, there is plenty of gain on tap to play from blues to hard-rock styles quite fluently. Learning to operate the three-band EQ is essential, as you will want to either thicken or thin the sound out for the respective tone you are going for.

Pros

  • Better quality than what it cost
  • 5 knobs for more adjustments
  • Flexible in tone and EQ

Cons

  • Not tight enough for metal
  • Some said the volume is too loud

BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone Distortion Guitar Pedal

[amazon box=”B0002CZVA0″ ]

The Metal Zone Distortion Guitar Pedal (MT-2) is the powerful and heaviest distortion pedal ever produced by the BOSS brand with its intense gain. It offers tremendous distortions and heavy low-gain if you want to play Nu Metal, Grind Core, Industrial, Hard Core, or any styles that demand smashing sounds. The harsh and crushing noise of the MT-2 will compliment and whack every blast harmonies.

This guitar pedal’s whole body is made of metal, giving the pedal a sharp-edged appearance for utterly smashing those heavy metal rhythms.

Pros

  • Reasonably priced
  • Amazing sound and distortion
  • Best for playing only metal

Cons

  • Doesn’t come with a power supply
  • The high gain setting requires a noise gate
  • Not true bypass

TC Electronic Mimiq Doubler Pedal

[amazon box=”B01M03PLYT” ]

TC Electronic’s Mimiq Doubler can be checked if you try to recreate the experience on your own. In comparison to the drums, you can expand the guitar parts and build a couple of dubs.

MIMIQ Doubler has enhanced the magic of accurate laboratory replication entirely. The technologically double sophistry algorithm consumes the studio moment, strike and pitch with all the unexpected and intricate complexities, rendering them accessible on the stage in such an instinctive stompbox.

MIMIQ Doubler may also let players add up to more guitar songs. The performers can also charge up everything from extraordinarily realistic and multi-skillful guitar lines to delicate riff-dripping impacts with a finely-tuned effect upon the close duplication and combining dry and effective signaling. Now use Stereo I/O for the live sound mingle and you can see that the MIMIQ Doubler is the master of cloning.

Pros

  • Produce great tone
  • The perfect tool for double-tracking guitar
  • Great for live performance with one guitarist

Cons

  • Make live metal tones sound terrible
  • Not enough clarity

How To Choose The Best Metal Guitar Pedals For Your Needs

If you are a new-comer to the world of electric guitars, you have probably already realized that there are literally thousands of those cool little stompboxes to choose from. So we can totally understand if as a beginner you find them a little bit daunting or confusing.

Simply, put effects pedals allow you to change the sound of your guitar either very subtly or a bit more drastically depending on the kind of pedal and the settings that you are using. Although there is an awful lot of choice with each individual pedal, offering its own slightly unique tone and features. Most of them can be categorized into specific effects types that share similar sounds and some typical controls.

Alright, if you still wonder about all possible choices above and do not know how to pick the best metal guitar pedals for your instrument. Do not worry! You could find the right answer with all the information below. Before reaching a conclusion, here are our guidelines. I personally hope that you can buy the best metal guitar pedals that suit yourself through our instructions.

Type Of Effects

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Overall, four significant effects are considered when it comes to choosing the best metal guitar pedals, while a vast range of subtypes can be explored as your tastes and needs evolve. Those effects are fuzz, overdrive, distortion, delay. Depends on which kind of effect you want to show in your music to figure out the most suitable pedals.

Size And Movability

Most pedals have rectangular shapes and can be a little heavy. Try to imagine carrying a stack of those to different shows. Now pedals are designed in much smaller and portable sizes. You should go for those considering bringing a group of more than 10 heavyweights pedals all around.

Quality

Any part of the pedal designed with metal is excellent because it gives the kit its durability to be long-lasting. Have a look at the glasses as well to find out whether it is attached properly. If not, a lever would totally be whacked.

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Gain and Bass

Both are a vital feature of playing heavy metal music.

The deep-toned and distorted sound of your guitar is high gain. This setting should be easily modified on most pedals. If you just play heavy riffs, then high gain is the answer. But you may indeed consider a pedal that offers a lower solos gain or more complex effects.

Bass (or also called “Low” knobs) on the pedal will create heavy lows while you play riffs or try a drone-like tone if it is in the ideal circumstances.

Pedalboard

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Obviously, the pedalboard size varies on how many pedals you have, so you undoubtedly need a more giant board for more than 5 to 10 pedals. However, it is crucial that your final pedalboard completely 100% works for you and that it would not be awkward to use, particularly in live performances.

Amps or Pedals

This has caused a fierce controversy for ages. Though, we recommend you check it on your own. If you play Death Metal (or other similar types), then a distortion pedal can give you assistance, or it can help you create low-quality amp. Some amps are okay with classical rock for beginners, but it is impossible to play heavy genres.

The Knobs

Different guitar pedals give unalike sounds. You should try first to find out the one that fits your style most. Maybe consider picking those with lots of knobs because it can be changed until you get the tone you want.

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Buying The Right Pedals

Choosing the best metal guitar pedals needs a lot of stuff in mind. You can start by seeking information from your best-loved guitarists about what he/she uses and find out more from that. However, you should know that not all distortion pedals are ideal for all kinds of metal.

Here is a video for you to grab more information:

Conclusion: Our Top 5 Picks Of The Best Metal Guitar Pedals

After all the products and helpful information we provide above, we hope that this will make it easier for you to choose the right pedals to achieve the kind of sound that you are looking for.

At this point, you should know which is the best metal guitar pedals you must have in your pedalboard to fiercely rock with heavy metal. If you are still confused with loads of products and its information then do not freak out – we got you. We have summed up all of those lengthy and complicated pieces of knowledge into a board of top 5 picks of the best metal guitar pedals – just for you!

1

Best metal guitar pedals for the money  

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2

Best metal guitar pedals for metalheads  

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3

Best metal guitar pedals for versatility 

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4

Best metal guitar pedals for advanced players 

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5

Best metal guitar pedals for metal sounds  

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Hopefully finally, through our best expertise and experience in this field, we portrayed our top 15 best metal guitar pedals with 100% determination to help you pick out the best metal guitar pedals that suits you most. Now let us presume that the utilization and role of distortion pedals in the realm of metals have been clarified. You just need to pick the most fascinating and thrilling recommendation from our selection!

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